Coursework
Coursework At A Glance
When you begin a PhD or doctoral program, you will have to take a series of courses before you are allowed to work on your dissertation. Each program has its own requirements, but you will likely spend 1-3 years doing coursework depending on your course load each semester. Doctoral-level courses usually fall into two categories:
​
-
Subject-specific courses ​
-
Research-related courses (e.g., research design, methodology, and statistics)​
​​
If you have already gone to grad school, you should feel quite comfortable taking doctoral-level courses.​ You will be assessed and graded via exams, papers, homework assignments, and online discussion posts.
​
Even though you are not working on your dissertation per se, the readings in your subject-specific courses will help you explore what topics interest you. The research-related courses will help you consider what data you have access to or are able to collect and whether you are a more "quaI or quant person." In fact, many programs (such as at Liberty University) will have you write mock elements of your dissertation during the coursework phase that you can use as a foundation for your actual dissertation.
How will Dissertation Demystified help me?
Becoming a member of Dissertation Demystified at the very beginning of your doctoral journey gives you the most comprehensive support possible. While you take the requisite suite of courses at your university, you can get a head start on laying the foundations of your dissertation as you progress through Dissertation Demystified's 12-module online course.
​
Our weekly office hours are perfect to use as tutoring sessions if you have any trouble with course content or assignments. All of our coaches are talented methodologists and can assist with the research-related courses and we have a network of coaches who can provide subject-specific expertise for education, psychology, business, public health, and nursing programs (to name a few). Remember, weekly office hours are included in our membership fee and there is no limit to how many you can attend!​